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The world’s youngest visual merchandiser?

Caine’s Dad owns a used auto parts store in a dead beat area of Los Angeles.

Like much of the area, the store suffers from practically ZERO footfall. But with the sort of vision you only get from a 9 year old, Caine built an arcade out the front of his Dad’s shop. ‘Caine’s Arcade’ is made entirely of used cardboard transit boxes. It took him months, but with the natural eye of a trained retail expert, Caine built everything from retail displays for prizes, security systems, point of sale units and hand-labelled his own brown paper lunch gift bags. He even designed his own office to take care of the admin.  

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Who am I?

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The do’s and don’ts of local farmer’s markets

We just returned from visiting the ‘Making Local Food Work’ conference, a community enterprise forum held in Birmingham and facilitated by the Plunkett Foundation. With representatives from farmers markets, community networks, and artisan food producers sharing guidance and business advice to over 100 delegates – it was hard not to leave inspired to shout louder about the unique selling points that set local retail apart from commercial enterprise. The unique selling point? Directly connecting customer to producer. Continue reading

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5 things you should know about protective Transit Packaging

The simple art of getting a bottle of wine from A to B, as many a fine drinks retailer will testify to, is actually nothing of the kind. It’s not that simple, and it can be a nightmare.

But not if you’re using the right product.

Transit packaging may not look pretty. It may not have the bells and whistles of a luxury silk-lined oak box for example, or the glamour of a faux leather hamper. But it forms the functional backbone for many specialist drinks retailers. With reports of the demise of many high-street businesses, you may be looking to extend your presence online and capture a new audience. For that you’ll need to know the basics. Here’s everything you need to know about transporting bottles in courier safe transit packaging. Continue reading

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Clever clog marketing

Warwick based wine warehouse
Underwood wines nifty marketing ideas often a talking point on social media platforms

We’re pretty sure there’s no ‘definitive’ rule book on what you can and cannot do with your marketing and sales campaign. What works for one company could spell failure for the next.

If there ever did exist some golden manual to keep us all on the straight and narrow, it must have been re-written and edited a hundred times over. With the onslaught of increasingly left-field social media marketing, new CRM best practices, and a plethora of two-cents worth opinion on the dos and don’ts of how to do just about everything, how on earth are you meant to keep up with it all?

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Choose a bag: Wine bottle bag designs for 2012/13

 

I have a terrible habit of quoting Oscar Wilde.

Didn’t he say something like: “Democracy means simply, the bludgeoning [of wine bottle bags] by the people for the people….” ??

Ok, apologies for the slight rewrite.

But it is that time again – choosing bottle bag designs for 2012/13, has sent us all democratic at WBC. Here is our work in progress, and we’d love to know which ones you like.

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The Prop Shop: Give your shop display a facelift

 

Antiques for retail display

Photography Jean Goldmith

THE PRESS SAY: ‘the best antiques you’ve never seen’

WE SAY: Inspiring retail display objects, if you have time to look! If you don’t, simply visit the online ‘Prop Shop’ where we’ve done the searching for you’

Last month Time Out magazine blew the cover on the hidden secrets of Sunbury Antiques Market. So intense was the vitriol from its regular shoppers, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if they’d attempted an injunction against this traitorous act of ‘kiss and tell’. Time out describes it as ‘the best antique fair you’ve never seen’, and in fact the leaked gem has remained largely under the radar, till now. Boasting some 700 plus traders from all over Europe, who’d have known Sunbury’s been trading for over 42 years?  Bric-a-brac, antiques and vintage wares may have previously been seen as nothing more than ‘junk’, today they’re the ‘must have’ ticket item, not just for consumers but for retailers seeking the most authentic retail display solutions. Tim Wilkinson visited the market and explains how WBC’s new Prop Shop offers the perfect alternative to traipsing through the cold at 5am in the morning.

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Glass hire services for corporate events, what a ‘crate’ idea!

Offering customers an add-on service like glass hire is a great way of sustaining healthy sales throughout the year.  Not only will it attract passing trade and brand new visitors, but it can improve and sustain existing customer loyalty. And once they’re through the door, it will also give you a really good chance of boosting incremental sales of impulse purchases. A customer might come in to talk about hiring glasses for their party, but the chances are they’ll leave with a whole lot more.  If you’re thinking of offering a glass loan service, investing in a selection of good quality glassware, along with glass storage crates is a must – here’s what you need to achieve a functional service.

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HAMPER INSPIRATION: Quick & affordable Mother’s Day gift idea

Mother's day gift packaging

My favourite quote about Mothers has to be from the notorious Oscar Wilde who keenly observes:

“All women become like their mothers.
That is their tragedy.
No man does.
That’s his.”

So it’s with equal measure of gratitude and fear that we dare not forget what has become arguably a fantastically placed retail spin off. But if like many retailers, you’re already overwhelmed with 2012′s ‘sales events’, then sometimes it pays to keep your ideas simple. When you’re struggling for a ready-made gift idea to offer customers – one that doesn’t deplete your time, energy or budget – this gifting idea is an absolute cinch. It’s the perfect impulse purchase Mothers will love. Plus the fact you’re buying it at wholesale trade prices means you will love it even more once you see the profit margins.

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Cool Britannia: British themed gift packaging for 2012 retailers

It’s about time we had some positive self-promotion in this country. Something local, regional, and national, that we’re happy and proud to shout about globally. It can’t be a bad thing, can it?

For us Brits, ‘bigging oneself up’ is not a past-time we undertake lightly. It requires sufficient gall and the high degree of front we generally regard as best left to our American cousins. But with festivities like the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, English Wine Week, Love British Food Fortnight, and the thousands of other local events planned – 2012 is our turn!

The world is watching – so by ‘eck [also known as come hell or high water] …..…Yes we can!

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